


A Week in the Woods

by HoliGAY



Series: Iwaoi Horror Week 2020 [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bad Ending, Bokuaka gets abused, Gore, Horror, I actually hate how sad this is, I'm Sorry, I've been wanting to write this, IwaOi Horror Week, Kinda paranormal?, M/M, Oikawa Tooru-centric, The prompt I wrote this after is killer, The uncanny (kinda), They all get abusied, This is so angsty, Yes I know it's early, be warned, some body horror, this actually scared me, very angsty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:28:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26986714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HoliGAY/pseuds/HoliGAY
Summary: A trip, a vacation well needed. A time to get away. Just what they need.Until their closest friends go missing, things seeming amiss in everything. The nagging feeling something is terribly wrong...
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru
Series: Iwaoi Horror Week 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1969576
Comments: 13
Kudos: 49





	A Week in the Woods

**Author's Note:**

> Oh dear god... Okay I planned on releasing this on iwaoi horror week itself but I got impatien lmao. This really is graphic and sad I genuinely hated myself after writing this. I plan on writing more for horror week. Anyway I hope you guys find this disturbing ):)
> 
> IMPORTANT: This is an au where everyone still plays volleyball. Oikawa and Iwaizumi live together in tokyo. They're all 21-23

\---------  
A Week in the Woods  
\---------

“A trip, far off in the woods, a beautiful cabin; secluded from the rest of the world in it’s homely grandeur. At said cabin, it feels like home, a wonderful kind home where things are happy and quaint. Nothing but scenery of the lush trees, beautiful flora, and the serenity of it all. It’s a journey not many can refuse, a place of solace, a place to get away from the hassle of everyday life. A perfect opportunity to relax with a loved one in the most humble resort.”

The ad looks so tantalizing, especially after such a defeating loss during a crucial match. The price for this relaxing vacation is low enough to not nearly dent the budget. Seeing all this, including the reviews which is appraisal after praise for this honest getaway. It’s enough to convince Tooru it’s time for a vacation. He knows both he and Hajime desperately need something of this sort. The last time either of them traveled was for a volleyball match, which was their most recent crushing defeat. Everything has seemed so tiring recently, each of them balancing famed professions as volleyball players as their daily jobs to afford the luxuries life has to offer. Neither have had time to just relax with the other, just peacefully relishing in the company of their partner. Sure, it’s quite a romantic plot running in Tooru’ head. Still a bit of escapism hurt none.

“Iwa-chan! I have some great news!”

Hajime turns from the computer screen he was staring at, a look of dismay evident through the creased brow accompanied by a frown.

“Great news? Your ‘great news’ is much more different than mine.”

Tooru laughs, giddy with excitement over the prospect of an adventure. An idea so abnormal to their usual monotonous daily life; consisting of none but work. It gets exhausting to the point of annoyance. This, however, is a chance, a change to enjoy the smaller things in life.

“We should go on a trip! I saw this really cool ad talking about a cabin in the woods! It’s cheap, the reviews are good, it’s from a reliable source. We should go! I’m dying for some adventure, I know you are too, Iwa-chan!”

Instead of what Tooru expected, a shrug, frown, or just a complete denial, Hajime smiles. Obviously Tooru spoke exactly what Hajime was wanting to do for a long while at this point. Both of them agree on this, a time to just be with each other. 

“You… How the hell do you always know what I’m thinking? I- I’ve been thinking about going somewhere with you for months but I didn’t know where or if we even have the money for it but you… You took the words right from my mouth.”

“See? I told you it’s great news! I’ll go ahead and book it for us. When do you think we should go?”

A look of concentration passes Hajime’s face, he’s deep in thought over such a simple question. Tooru finds it adorable that he does such a thing. Tooru rises from his seat on the couch, walks over to Hajime then plants a chaste kiss to Hajime’s lips. It never ceases to make Tooru smile as the look of flushed embarrassment ensues.  
“How about tomorrow till next wednesday? A full week in the woods, just us?”

Hajime nods curtly, still in shock over Tooru’s surprise attack while in deep thought. Yet again, Hajime was thinking tomorrow, for a week. How Tooru can perfectly speak nearly every thought in Hajime’s mind is a wonder to him. Just as Tooru himself is an amazement before him.

Tooru glances at the clock hanging on the wall, he completely forgot how late it has gotten. The game they played was around seven, it did last for a while. Their match ended around ten. The time now is twelve. How time flies when one is looking for an escape. Tooru wants to leave tomorrow, so he gets back to his phone to book the cabin for a week. Fortunately, no-one has taken the single cabin, which is rather surprising as this seems a fantastic deal.

“Hey, how much is it for a week anyway?”

The moment Hajime pops the question, Tooru sees the prices for a week, it’s shocking. Fifty-two thousand nine hundred and eighty- nine yen for an entire week. Seven whole days for the price of two days on some. Tooru wants to be skeptical, yet, he can’t as there are so many reviews from hundreds proclaiming its greatness. Besides, the entire site is quite reliable as famed for its reputable name. With all this evidence this is legitimate, Tooru books the trip. The journey starts at five noon on wednesday, the ending is anytime wednesday next week. The cabin isn’t too far from Tokyo. It’s a seven hour train ride to Shikoku. Tooru has been all over Japan, never has he heard of Shikoku though, it must be quite secluded for something like this. Which is exactly what Tooru and Hajime need at this time.

“It’s about fifty-three thousand yen-”

“What?! Seriously? Okay, I know I just said I thought this was a great idea but… That’s way too cheap. Isn’t that suspicious to you?”

Tooru smiles, yet again is a moment of each other knowing what their partner is thinking or was thinking. 

“Well, yeah, I thought the same but it’s on a good site with tons of trusted reviews! I don’t think someone would write thousands of fake reviews for their cabin in the woods. If it does end up not being what we thought, we can always leave once we get there anyway.”

Hajime considers Tooru’s statement, deep thinking ensues again. This time, Tooru just watches as Hajime is undoubtedly thinking through every possible scenario to possibly happen.

“Okay, okay. Let’s do it. You’re right, we can always leave when we want to.”

Tooru nods, going ahead with the payment in advance for the cabin. The transaction went through successfully. All they need to do now is wait till tomorrow morning to board the train to Shikoku. After that, an enjoyable getaway for a whole week in the woods. Nothing but Tooru and Hajime, peace and solace with just each other. To tooru, that is something straight from a dream for him. Considering all recent happenings in their lives. 

“Well, I’m going to bed, it’s getting late. I want an early start to my day! Or, our day!”

Tooru ends his statement with a cheeky wink, staying just long enough to see the realization of his words sweep across Hajime’s face.

After doing all Tooru needs to before lying down, he hears his phone going off, answering-

“Oh my god Tooru what the hell have you been doing!? I’ve been trying to call you for ten minutes straight!”

Tooru pulls the phone from his face to check the contact. It’s Tetsurou. Never in all the years Tooru has known him, Tetsurou has never sounded this panicked before. 

“I-I’m sorry, I was showering, what happened?”

A beat of silence, Tooru thinks the call might have ended-

“Kotaro and Keiji went on their honeymoon a few weeks ago. They said they were gonna be back by early September. It’s mid-october now! I keep calling and calling, no response. No activity on social media from either of them ever since they left. I’m calling because maybe you might know what’s up?”

Silence. This is the first Tooru heard of this. He knew Kotaro and Keiji were going on their honeymoon. Tooru actually thought they were staying on an extended trip. Much to Tooru’s horror, that isn’t the case. Kotaro especially, can hardly bear an hour starved of his phone. Keiji however, usually doesn’t. Still, an entire month after they planned to end their honeymoon and they still aren’t back? 

“Where did they go? I forgot to ask them about it so maybe we can find them?”

“Well, when I called Ko last, he said he and Keiji were going to a cabin in Shikoku. The day after I got no calls, no texts, nothing. It’s been like this for a whole month. I’ve called all their friends and family and I heard Ko’s family went on a search party since the police won’t do anything.”

Tooru is in disbelief. It could be a coincidence, a completely different cabin in Shikoku could be where Kotaro and Keiji went. Despite that however, a search party is already commencing? Why wasn’t anyone else informed besides family? The police aren’t involved? It isn’t surprising but this is a very serious situation as lives could be in danger…

“Why don’t you call the police? I know they probably won’t help right now, but this is dangerous. I really want to help find them but I won’t be home for a week and neither will Hajime.”

“I have! I keep calling and calling but right when I say their names, the officer hangs up! I can’t get any normal authority to help! Where are you going anyway?”

Tooru sighs, he sits down on him and Hajime’s bed. This has to be a coincidence. Kotaro and Keiji are fine. There are so many multitudes of scenarios that could have possibly happened. For now, Tooru is going to be positive. They have to be okay. After all, who could even overpower Kotaro? He’s one of the most famous aces in all of Japan now. If not, the number one. How someone could possibly take him down does not occur in Tooru’s mind.

“This is a horrible thing to say but… We’re going to a cabin in Shikoku.”

“W-what!? Tooru are you insane!? I literally just said Ko and Keiji have been missing for at least three weeks now and you’re going on vacation there?!”

“I didn’t know any of this was happening! Obviously this isn’t going to be on the news and I haven’t had any time to check anything! I already booked it so we have to go. I’m going to be asking around about them the minute I get there.”

Silence, Tooru can just see Tetsurou shaking his head at this exact second. Of all the reasons for Kuroo to call him, a missing person's call is definitely something Tooru never wants.

“Okay… I’m just worried as hell about them… If something happened to Keiji, Ko would be a wreck, vice versa. I know neither of them would leave the other behind so I’m freaking the fuck out that something serious happened. I’ll call you tomorrow. Just look for them? If something happened, the people living in that area are bound to know.”

“I know. Thanks for telling me, Kuroo. They’re going to be found. Perfectly fine.”

The call ends. Tooru flops down on the mattress in a huff. Not an irritated one, just one of defeat. What can he possibly do? Tooru closes his eyes, just a moment to pretend everything is fine.

“Hey, you okay? I heard you yelling all the way in the living room. Did something happen?”

Tooru cracks open an eyelid to see Hajime standing at the edge of their bed, worry creasing his brow. Tooru sighs loudly, albeit dramatically, that’s all he can do as of now. 

“Kotaro and Keiji… They’ve gone missing… Tetsurou just called me telling me about it I- they went missing at a cabin… In Shikoku.”

A beat of silence. Suddenly, the bed shifts towards the edge. A comforting hand lands on Tooru’s shoulder. It’s large and calloused, yet warm and sweet. Despite hearing what Tooru can only compare to as a nightmare. Right here is his dream, one that wipes away everything that happened just by glancing into Hajime’s eyes. 

“Well… We’re going possibly to that exact cabin. Maybe they’re just pretending to live there and just don’t have any wifi anymore. They’re fine. We’ll find them.”

Tooru stays silent, he has no words. The hand on his shoulder tightens just a bit more. Tooru truly can’t react. Moments like these make Tooru wonder if all the bad is just a nightmare and once he finally awakens, Hajime is right there to ask if he’s okay. Thinking about all this gives Tooru courage.

“I- I know but… What if- what if they aren’t okay? I…”

“Shh… Stop worrying so much, Shittykawa… They’re okay. Just like us. We’re okay.”

Yet again, Hajime has this ability over Tooru, to make him feel so high. A good high. A high like no other. Tooru knows eventually he has to wake up. He has to look away from Hajime’s beautiful eyes and face the world. The inhumanly cruel reality. Still, if this isn’t a coincidence, and Kotaro and Keiji went to this exact cabin, Tooru has a second job now. Just as Hajime said, they’re going to be fine. All of them. Tooru leans into Hajime’s chest. Surprisingly, sleep finds him speedfast. Too fast...

Bright rays of sunlight stream through the curtainless windows, bright enough to wake Tooru from his sleep. Dreams nor nightmares found him last night, just nothingness. A black haze for six hours. Tooru opens his eyes fully, blinking a few times to adjust to the sun’s early morning brightness. Hajime is still asleep, Tooru knows as he can hear the snoring. He’s gotten used to it at this point as it doesn’t bother him. With great care, Tooru gently pries Hajime’s hand, which now is his arm slung over Tooru’s chest. After doing so, realization dawns on Tooru. Neither of them have packed a thing. Sure, Hajime may not need much. Tooru, however, needs to pack. Desperately. In a flash, Tooru flings open drawers, piling all the ‘necessities’ needed for a week-long trip. Although an entire month’s worth may be a tad overkill, to Tooru none such thing exists as ‘too much’. 

“Are you...Packing?”

Tooru winces, in his flurry of trying desperately to get ready by having at least a month’s worth of outfits must have caused quite the sounds. Sounds loud enough to awaken even the Hajime Iwaizumi.

“Pfft! Nooo I wouldn’t do that! Ahaha…”

Tooru laughs halfheartedly to not irritate Hajime this early in the morning. Still, Tooru knows he is not believable in the slightest as he is in a pool of all his clothes. Yet again, enough to last an entire month. Maybe he might need that much anyway.

“Uh-huh… Sure… I need coffee. It’s too early for this. I’m tired.”

Hajime tiredly drags himself out of bed and truges into the kitchen. Tooru smiles affectionately, before hearing the alarm clock go off. 7am. Panic ensues. Tooru may have woken up earlier than his alarm in the first place. 7am?! How could he set it so late in the morning? 

It takes Tooru an entire hour just to shove all his scheduled outfits into about four suitcases. Although he hasn’t gotten most of the actual necessities, he has his version of ‘necessities’. Which at this time, is enough for Tooru.

Hajime has been avoiding their bedroom like the plague as the moment he walks by their room, he can hear the sound of Tooru feverishly packing. It’s an adorable trait, not like Hajime would point it out. All Hajime can really do is wait for the most likely seven suitcases to be rolled out. Surprisingly, by the next time Hajime walks by, eight, Tooru has finished packing his clothes. Which is a first for Tooru. Usually, it would be ten at this point. It’s almost worrying to Hajime; it isn’t as he is not worried about Tooru over something like clothes. Hajime sighs, shaking his head fondly, he yet again walks past their room.

Tooru is really trying to distract himself. He’s trying his hardest not to think about Kuroo’s words from last night’s call. Tooru knows he should be trying to think about things positively. That both Keiji and Kotaro are perfectly fine. Why wouldn’t they be? Both Tooru and Hajime might be traveling to the place they went anyway, so Tooru might just find them and everything will be fine. It will. Still, the thoughts racing through his head say otherwise. Tooru closes the last suitcase and walks out of their room. It’s eight, Tooru now is in need of some coffee. 

“Good morning, Iwa-chan…”

Hajime turns around, wide-eyed, that voice sounds nothing like Tooru. Well, it does, just much more tired and worn out. Hajime walks over to the coffee bar in the kitchen, watching Tooru for a moment.

“Good morning? That doesn’t sound like you’re having one. Are you okay?”

A beat of silence, Hajime thinks he knows what’s on Tooru’s mind. After all, it’s been on Hajime’s as well. The disappearance of Kotaro and Keiji. Hajime knows it’s definitely affecting Tooru emotionally much more than it is Hajime. 

“No, I’m fine. Just.. you know? Thinking about yesterday. I know, I know, I shouldn’t be worrying so much but I just… I can’t help it?” 

As much as Hajime doesn’t want to admit it, hearing such a defeated tone in Tooru’s voice is something Hajime hates. He understands why Tooru feels this way yet Hajime doesn’t want him to at all. What’s making it all worse is that Tooru isn’t even looking him in the eye. It doesn’t irritate Hajime, well, it does. Although it also upsets him, in more of a sad way.

“Listen to me, they’re okay. If they are there or in that area, we will find them. If they aren’t, then we will go out and find them. Now, I swear to god stop worrying!”

Tooru finally looks up, looking surprised. That. That really annoys Hajime. Sure, maybe he isn’t as nice as how he thinks about Tooru. Yet, there is no way he’s actually that mean to Tooru. Or… maybe he is.

“I- I…”

Tooru sniffs, to the absolute horror of Hajime. Another sniff, then, a tear, then another. Before Hajime can really react, Tooru practically runs around the counter in their kitchen to hug Hajime, nestling his head into his shoulder. Hajime is stunned into silence. Things like this usually don’t happen. Well, hugs are a daily thing. Still, this? With Tooru in tears? Hajime, with his arms against his sides like frozen sticks, slowly wraps his arms around Tooru. A waft of blueberries practically surrounds Tooru like an invisible haze. It’s sweet, soft, gentle.

“Shh… It’s okay. They’re okay. We’re going to find them. Now, please, stop worrying, Shittykawa.” 

Dark brown eyes, red-rimmed from crying only a moment look from his shoulder to meet Hajime’s. Silence for another time. A few moments of each other’s eyes. It’s beyond cliche. Yet, it’s a trope both Tooru and Hajime wish to continue.  
A phone begins to ring, it’s Tooru’s based on the hip pop song booming from said phone.

“I- I’m gonna go get that…”

A second of hesitancy before Tooru pulls away. Hajime certainly does catch the embarrassed blush on Tooru’s cheeks.

Just like that, gone. Well, not exactly gone, just in another room. Hajime isn’t sure he wants to know the contents of the phone call. Yet another thing for Tooru to worry about? Hajime sure hopes not.

“Hello?”

“Ah, yes. Is this Tooru Oikawa?”

Tooru hesitates. This voice belongs to no-one he knows. Or, no-one he knows closely. Tooru doesn’t remember talking to someone with this type of tone. Something sounds nearly… Deranged. This person only spoke one sentence yet to Tooru he heard a clear unhinged stutter. Or, he could be imagining things. Besides, what could informing someone one’s name be harmful?

“...Yes? Can I help you?”

“W-well… You rented out my cabin for a week, did you not?”

Oh. Well, that would make sense. Tooru does remember putting his phone number in for contact info. He must have been imagining things, no-one can decide what type of person someone is by just their voice. 

“Oh! Yeah. I did, did something happen?”

Silence. A long silence, in the distance, Tooru can faintly hear an odd scraping sound over the phone. It could be anything. Still, it’s unnerving. Just having a conversation-

“No! No! You must still come to the cabin! You see, this is a very difficult business to run. I need as many customers as I can get!”

The man suddenly yelling into the phone nearly made Tooru jump. In fact, he did. He understands though, people have to get by any means necessary. Just… How can someone be so creepy about it? Maybe Tooru needs more sleep. He’ll just rest on the train.

“Uhm… Yes? We’re still going. We’ll be there before the deadline.”

“Wonderful! I’ll- NO!”

The call cuts off. Tooru looks at his phone screen in confusion. Did he himself do that or this cabin owner? Either way, Tooru is definitely getting suspicious of this endeavor. He knows, he needs to not worry and just calm down. This is still a chance to get away, although, each and every thing recently has been a difficulty. 

Tooru glances at the clock, eight-thirty. It isn’t late yet, but Tooru wants to get to that cabin. He has multiple reasons for it. Hopefully finding Keiji and Kotaro, the other, enjoying his time with Hajime, and lastly, wanting to prove his suspicion this owner isn’t a tad unnerving.

“Iwa-channnn! Are you ready to go?”

“Huh!? Are you?”

A laugh, actually, yes. For once in Tooru’s entire life of going places, he finally is finished getting ready before ten. This is a rarity.

“Of course I am~! I’m just waiting for you now!”

“You-! Fuck off give me ten minutes!”

Tooru smiles, waving his head affectionately. 

Now comes a difficult task, getting all his suitcases into their car. Many, many times Hajime and Tooru have tried to get a new car. Yet, things always happen so they aren’t able to. A run-down chevy impala. Sure, it’s a wonderful car, though ten year has definitely taken its toll on the car. Driving down to the train station won’t take too long, around thirty minutes. 

By around suitcase three, the trunk is completely stuffed. Also, thankfully, around that time, Hajime finished getting ready with his singular suitcase. He sighs in uttar irritation. How one person can carry so much for a week is a mystery to Hajime. Nonetheless, he helps Tooru literally shove the last three cases into the car. Unpacking these into the train is going to be a bit difficult.

The drive to the station was surprisingly smooth, despite the car being ten years old, it can still run nicely. Albeit that scenario is rare.

“This is the station? Seriously? It looks so old…”

Tooru knows that the station is off road. Shinkoku is a far off town, quite secluded from everyone and everywhere else. Still. This is certainly not what he expected. The road leading to said station is dirt, overgrowth spewing all over the path due to no usage. The actual station can be seen from this distance. It’s old, covered almost entirely in sheet metal, with chipped, soft pink paint. The few windows are broken, with jagged glass covered in weeds all around. The entire building itself looks as though a garden.

Some older things have a sweet, nostalgic charm to them; this however, has an abandoned feel to it. As if something horrible happened here many decades ago. How does a train station still in use look this run-down? Yet another thing making Tooru question this endeavor entirely.

“Eh… It may look like shit, the people here might do their job. Just calm down. I don’t think anything is gonna get you.”

Hajime chimes in, seeing the clear hesitancy on Tooru’s face. Maybe he’s right. Of course, Tooru isn’t delusional, he can’t be seeing things this distoredly. Still, despite the nagging voice in his head telling him he should just go home. Tooru opens the chevy trunk, piling on all five of his suitcases. Maybe he might have overdone it. Of course, Tooru couldn’t part ways with any of said suitcases as all the ‘necessities’ of his life are in these five. Hajime grabs his single case and grabs two from Tooru. 

“Ahaha… Thanks, Iwa-chan.”

“W-whatever, you should have just taken less things. Idiot.”

A bit of comfortable silence passes between them as they make their way up to the station. Upon opening the door, the interior is shockingly suave. Cream freshly painted walls, paired with a gray granite floor. The only furniture is a few light brown faux leather chairs, and a single desk, the same coffee color. It’s a very minimalist palette, which looks stunning in comparison to the exterior.

“Is this really the same place?”

“Huh…”

Sure, the interior looks quite nice. However, another blaring red alarm screeching in Tooru’s mind is the fact not a single other living being besides them is in said station. Nor any employees. Tooru knows this area is more reclusive than other stations. Yet, there are many destinations this train can go to. How Hajime and Tooru are the only ones here is worrying. Or it’s all in Tooru’s imagination.

“Oh! Pardon me for the wait, I was in the back getting some papers.”

Out from the desk pops up an employee. Tooru was expecting an elderly haggard worker, not a fresh-faced adult. It’s a good surprise since maybe this means Tooru was wrong from getting so worried. The employee looks down at some papers, Tooru just happens to get a glance of it, a script? Is Tooru truly going insane?

“Well, I suppose you two are the Shinkoku train?”

“Yeah.”

Tooru gets another glance at the paper, what this worker just said is right on the page. There is no possibility that Tooru can see something so vividly. There is no chance that he is imagining all of this.

“Okay, well, follow me. The train just arrived so there isn’t any wait!”

More suspicion nags at Tooru. That is a lie. Tooru knows both him and Hajime would have heard the sound of a train arriving from such a short distance. Even if it had arrived before they got there, the sound of said train would have been heard. Nevertheless, Tooru won’t say anything on the matter. At least, not just yet.

Walking out a small door behind the desk, a large train awaits. What is off, however, is the fact this isn’t a bullet train. Bullet trains are commonplace in nearly every area in Japan. Yet, here, in this small station in Tokyo, lies a steam locomotive. Tooru isn’t quite sure the last time he saw one of these. Seeing one today, one he has to board himself is so strange. Another thing that is far too odd about this day.

“You… You’re kidding, right? This is a joke?”

Tooru says it in a joking tone, as if everyone is going to laugh along. They don’t. Hajime is looking at said train as if it’s ancient history. In fact, it is. The employee, on the other hand, glares at Tooru. Not a usual type of; I dislike you glare. No, this look is different, something seems unhinged about this one. It makes Tooru take just a step closer to Hajime. Who turns from the train to cast a confused glance at Tooru.

“No. Do you think I’m kidding? I have to run a respectable business here. I work all day and all night to make this place look wonderful. Every single time someone comes here, they all comment on this train. I am not joking. The next time someone asks me, I will hurt them.”

The phrase the employee just said, in the right tone, could have sounded like a joke. Yet, the person just spoke with the most disturbing conviction. A burning glare is in their eyes. So furious it makes Tooru definitely think they aren’t lying. Hajime must have also seen the disturbing truth in this person’s voice so he takes just a small step in front of Tooru. Tooru knows things could get ugly. It’s better to just defuse the situation. Despite still being shaken up from just a moment ago.

“Ah I-I’m sorry! You see, I’ve just haven’t seen one of these in a long time, haha! I didn’t mean anything bad!”

After another tense second of this worker glaring intensely at Tooru, they calm down. A fake wide smile appears on their face. It’s easy to tell. Yet again, this smile has a deranged underlying edge to it.

“Well, that’s unfortunate. I already received the payment last night. Go ahead. Enjoy your ride.”

Again, this phrase could sound very nice, rather courteous. Instead, the almost threatening tone to it is disturbing. Honestly quite scary. Still, Tooru walks on ahead, stepping up into the locomotive. It looks so old, as if it’s been frozen in time directly from the 1930’s. A few moments later, Hajime follows suit. They take the seats closest to the door, just in case. The last thing Tooru sees as he turns his head is the employee smile. A true smile. Tooru gasps when he sees the person’s teeth. A dull red. A blink, gone. The employee just disappeared from his view. Tooru looks down at the red carpet, breathing in and out, trying to just calm down.

“Hey… Are you okay?”

Tooru keeps his eyes closed, he just nods, not exactly convincing though it’s enough for himself. The sound of suitcases being set down can be heard. Immediately after, a comforting hand lands on Tooru’s shoulder. He sighs, leaning into Hajime.

“Am I going crazy? I keep seeing things that probably aren’t there. I keep hearing things that probably don’t exist. What’s going on?”

Silence. Hajime is most likely contemplating Tooru’s words. After all, Tooru might not be going insane. Hopefully, he’s fine and just thinking things through way too much.

“You fucking idiot… You’re not going crazy. I keep telling you not to worry about everything. Sure, the person at that station was psychotic. But, it’s fine. We’re okay. If I have to keep telling you to stop worrying, I’m going to go insane.”

Tooru laughs a bit. It’s not fake, he knows he does worry too much. Of course, how can he help it? With two of his close friends just gone, knowing he might be going there with Hajime. Everything recently has seemed uncanny. People acting differently. Everything acts not as it seems. Tooru can’t help worrying about this. He most likely won’t stop worrying, at least, not until he can get some answers. As if knowing the imaginative thinking Tooru is experiencing, Hajime’s hand tightens on Tooru’s shoulder. 

“I know, I know… I’m trying not to. I really am. I want to make the most of this. Maybe… maybe things will make more sense when we get to that cabin? I really, really hope so…”

And with that, Tooru tries to fall asleep. The train ride is around seven hours. He has some time to catch up on the sleep he needs. Maybe a round of resting will help Tooru think more clearly. Maybe he won’t see things so distortedly. Just as Hajime keeps saying, they’re going to be fine. 

“We’re here.”

A rough nudge on the shoulder. Slowly, Tooru opens his eyes. He almost hoped the past day had been a dream. The entire thing. Unfortunately, no, he isn’t dreaming. It really didn’t feel like Tooru slept any. Yet another dreamless sleep. Instead of feeling better from taking such a long nap, he feels worse. Even more tired rather than awake. 

Taking a quick glance outside, Tooru can see they’re at a new station. It looks much nicer than the previous. Maybe this sleep did something good for him after all. Hopefully everything before where things all seemed so strange was just an odd visual trick. One very, very vivid.

“Wow… This station actually looks really nice…”

Hajime doesn’t say anything, instead, he keeps his head turned as far from Tooru as possible. 

“I-Iwa-chan? Are you alright?”

Silence. Tooru swallows nervously. Is something wrong? Did he say something in his sleep? Tooru gently pokes Hajime’s shoulder, getting more and more concerned. 

“Don’t you dare fucking touch me!”

Hajime yells out, making Tooru jump. What happened?

“Huh…? I- did I do something wrong?”

“Yes! Yes you did! I’m so fucking tired of you! You’re so damn annoying! I wish you’d just disappear!”

Tooru exhales a shaky breath. Hajime can’t mean that… Can he? Why would he even have a reason to say that? Tooru can’t think clearly. Why the sudden change? 

“Y-you don’t mean that… Right?”

Hajime furiously turns to look at Tooru. Tooru wishes he hadn’t. A look of actual rage. Not the usual look of annoyance or exasperation. No, a glare of serious fury. Similar to the employee from earlier. It makes Tooru scoot towards the edge of the seat, this isn’t real.

“If I didn’t mean it… Why the hell would I even say it!? Of course I fucking mean it! You’re so damn conceited!”

At that exact moment, Hajime snatches Tooru’s throat. The look of fury has a terrifying intent. A killing intent. Tooru tries to yell, he can’t. He’s crying profusely. Of every possible way for someone to die… Tooru is sure being killed by the person he loves the most is both ironic and horrible.

“Wake up!”

Eye bolt open, breathing far too quick for the average person. Tears streaming down like a river. 

Tooru looks around, trying his hardest to calm down. He can’t believe it. That was a dream- a nightmare. It all seemed so real… Tooru glances over to where Hajime is, instead of a furious glare, wide, worried eyes meet his. 

“Oh… Oh my god…”

Hajime wasn’t expecting that. The train ride was going peacefully, just the sound of the old train ploughing along. Until, a flinch. Hajime could feel it as Tooru fell asleep against him. A look of pain is etched across Tooru’s face. Hajime shakes him a bit, no response. A shake again. That time, that got a response, tears. Definitely not something Hajime wanted to see. Whatever is happening, it certainly is not anything good. A cry, an actual choked cry comes from Tooru. That’s enough. Hajime actually shakes him, then yells ‘wake up’. Thankfully, that’s what did it.

“What happened…?”

Silence. Hajime doesn’t want to make this situation any worse. So, he waits for Tooru to calm down. 

“I- you… You hated me…”

Hajime’s jaw falls open. What. How Tooru could even have a dream like that is honestly horrifying to Hajime. He can’t believe it. Ever since Tetsurou called Tooru last night, he’s been distraught. Hajime understands why, although this trip is truly taking a toll on Tooru. Everything that’s happened recently makes Hajime just want to turn around and leave. Of course, it’s a bit late for that now. Considering the contents of Tooru’s dream, Hajime doesn’t want to make any sudden moves. Again, the last thing he wishes to do is make this any worse.

“I don’t. I promise you, that’s the last thing I think I would ever think about you. I don’t hate you… I-I love you.”

Hajime reflects on his words, far too cheesy. Usually something so insanely cliche isn’t a thing Hajime would do. Of course, these are special circumstances. There are times he has to be beyond cheesy. He’ll say it again though, as many times as he has to.

Tooru stays silent for a moment. Maybe Hajime didn’t say the right thing? After all, Hajime isn’t the romantic poem-reacting boyfriend. Another second of silence. Then, a smile. Tooru smiles. A genuine smile. He wipes the remaining tears from his eyes, he sighs, a mix of something happy and sad.

“Thank you… Thank you so much, Hajime.”  
Hajime looks down at the train carpet, trying to hide his embarrassment. He wasn’t expecting that response at all. Everytime Tooru says his actual first name, it’s shocking. Paired with such a sweet smile, Hajime is not prepared for things such as this.

Thankfully, to save Hajime any more embarrassment, the train slows to a halt. They must have arrived at the destination. Hopefully, this will be a great stay. Hajime truly hopes nothing else goes wrong. He isn’t sure either of them can really handle anything else.

“Y-yeah… Anyway, we’re here… Are you ready?”

Tooru is hesitant. After the nightmare he literally just had, he isn’t sure he wants to go anywhere else that’s new. Of course, he doesn’t have a choice. Not because of Hajime since Tooru is sure he might not want to go either. No, it’s out of obligation to his friends. Besides, this is the actual vacation home now, so hopefully things will get much, much better. Tooru inhales, one last breath of complete calm. He pulls four of his suitcases down from the shelf above their seats. Standing up, he exhales that breath. He can do this. They can do this. 

Hajime follows suit, grabbing the two remaining ones. He scowls at Tooru carrying four of them. Sure, he knows Tooru most certainly can do that. Hajime just doesn’t want him to. It’s too late anyway, as Tooru already stepped from the train. The outside looks like the usual stations all throughout Japan. Steel, metallic, monochrome. Nothing is wrong with that palette, it’s just stark contrast to the previous station. Not a single employee is at this station. Which is odd, not like they need anyone else right now. Still, usually one person is around when the persons are unboarding the train. 

Tooru looks around the station, not looking for anyone, instead, a map. Yes, a thing rarely used, which makes sense as they are useless now. Usually train stations do have at least one map for convenience. Of course, nothing has followed under the term ‘usual’. After doing another look over the station. Tooru sees something in the distance, is that… The cabin they’re supposed to be staying at? Tooru is confused as he faintly remembers the cabin being a few minutes away from the station.

“Hey, do you see that cabin in the distance?”

Hajime squints, looking where Tooru is. He sees the cabin. Which looks exactly like the one they’re supposed to be going to.

“Huh… Yeah, that’s the cabin, isn’t it?”

Quite honestly, Tooru is done questioning these things. If Hajime also recognizes this cabin as the one they should be going to. Then it must be said cabin. Tooru starts off in that direction, if the cabin isn’t the one, then they just go elsewhere.

Getting closer to the cabin, Tooru can see this is definitely the cabin. The niche soft brown wood logs as exterior, the roof going into a tall point, bright blue flowers surrounding the cabin. This must be it. Tooru walks up to the door-

“Aha! I’ve been patiently waiting for your arrival! You’re late!”

Tooru jumps, startled by this wily man flinging open the door before Tooru could even knock. The man’s voice sounds exactly the same from the phone, so Tooru can rest easy. Finally. Something that isn’t off.  
“L-late? I thought the trip starts at five? We’re thirty minutes early?”

The man laughs, laughing so hard as if Tooru just cracked the most hilarious joke.

“Ahahahaha! I’m just joking around! Welcome, welcome! I’m glad I have such eager customers!”

Tooru is trying, very, very hard not to think suspiciously of this man. Of course, Tooru can’t really help it, this man truly acts deranged. Which is not something Tooru wants from a temporary land owner. The man walks into the cabin, gesturing for Tooru and Hajime to follow. Hajime gives Tooru a look of confusion. Most likely over how this person can act so psychotic. Instead of coming up with some response, which Tooru isn’t sure he can, he walks inside. He can hear Hajime sigh before following.

Thankfully, the interior looks nice, with the same nice wood logs as the walls. Surprisingly, the floor is marble, a dark brown mixed with cream. It’s very nice. The chairs, all the same colored dark brown as the floor. The same goes for the couch. All the tables are similar wood from the walls, the counters all made from the marble floor. All around the cabin are beautiful plants, it all complements everything so nicely. It’s a relief to Tooru, who unfortunately was expecting a very run down shake-esque look.

“Wow… This looks really nice.”

The man smiles a wide smile. Tooru can’t help but notice the man has no teeth. It’s not a strange thing in the slightest, it just adds another bit of unnerving to this man’s attitude and appearance.

“You think so? Haha! I had a couple come here a month ago, they were so nice and bought all this furniture for me!”

Tooru falters. A couple came to this cabin a month ago? They were nice? Sure, there are thousands who could fit that exact description. Of course, Tooru can only think of one significant couple who could have come here.

“They… Do you know their names?”

The man’s face goes dark. A frown appears on his face. He looks terrifying. Then, suddenly, the man smiles again.

“Hmm… Nope! I do remember that they’re volleyball players. I think one of them was the number one something… He had really wild hair, kinda like an owl.”

Tooru can’t believe it. There is no way that isn’t Kotaro and Keiji. They were here! That means this man has to at least have a slight clue as to where they are!

“Yes! You see, we both are really good friends of theirs, they’ve been gone for a while and we’ve been looking for them… Did they say anything about where they were going?”

The man’s eyes widen, a look of hysteria takes over, his eyes become wide and wild. 

“Ah- hahaha… No… They aren’t here anymore.”

Silence. Tooru’s stomach drops. There’s no way… They can’t… The words could have sounded normal. As if they aren’t at the cabin anymore. Though, just from this man’s face and tone, something else seems at play.

“I’m sorry, what do you mean by, they aren’t here anymore?”

Hajime steps up, most likely knowing Tooru has no words at this time.

“Haha… I mean not here anymore. What are you insinuating? They aren’t here.”

Before either Hajime or Tooru can say anything, the man laughs loudly. A laugh of a maniac. A smile as well, full of insanity. He then bounds off.

“Oh! One more thing, if any of you need anything, just knock! I’m next door in my shack!”

The door slams shut. Tooru has to lean against a chair, hoping the man is just delusional and doesn’t mean what he said. 

Tooru’s phone starts to ring, a great distraction, until Tooru reads the ID: Tetsurou. Of course, he answers.

“Have you gotten to that cabin yet?”

“Tetsurou… Something is really wrong here.”

Silence. Either Tetsurou thinks Tooru means something different or exactly what they all are fearing.

“Wrong? What do you mean? What happened?”

“Kotaro and Keiji were at this cabin… The thing is, this land man is insane… I think- I think they might be hurt.”

Tooru can hear Tetsurou exhale a shaky breath. Exactly how Tooru feels. Tooru hopes he’s wrong. He hopes Keiji and Kotarto are fine. They have to be.

“Why do you think that? Are there any signs?”

“Well… The man said, in a very cryptic tone, they aren’t here anymore. I could be wrong about how I heard it but, I’m worried I’m not…”

Tooru can hear the sound of rustling papers, the sound of a pen hitting paper in a frantic scribble. What Tetsurou is writing? Tooru has no clue and is sure he doesn’t want to know.

“Okay… I hate to ask this but, will you guys keep looking into this? This is serious. You don’t have to do anything crazy but, please try. Look into stuff. Please.”

“We will. They’re going to be found, alive and well… I hope…”

The call ends right after. Tooru has to find answers. He will discover the truth. 

“What do you think happened?”

Hajime looks from a spot of dust on the floor, looking over to Tooru. He knew this question would come up eventually. The difficult thing is, Hajime has no answer for it. He knows Tooru isn’t wanting an answer, he’s wanting an opinion. Sure, Hajime has thought it over on how something could happen. If this cabin owner has anything to do with this, there is no way an elderly man could overpower Kotaro or Keiji. Unless… Unless this man had a weapon. An illegal weapon. If that was the case, then neither of them could stand a chance. It’s so horrifying and grim to think about. Of course, these are questions one has to ask themselves considering this circumstance. So many different possibilities on what could have happened…

“Well, we know they came here… The guy could have meant not here as they left. Sure, he sounds insane. The man is old. Crazy kinda gets to you at a point. Think about it, how could an old man take down Bokuto or Akaashi?”

Tooru nods his head, most likely worrying over every word Hajime said. Unfortunately, Hajime is rather unhelpful when Tooru starts his incessant worrying. He knows this as he’s tried many times to help Tooru with this, each time doing little to no good. Now Hajime just waits it out, not out of irritation, out of consideration. Instead of just staring for a while, Hajime goes and grabs the suitcases, taking them up the five-step winding staircase. 

What happened? That question repeats many times over in Tooru’s head. Every answer he finds is either too dark to really add thought to, or unbelievable. Crazy, such as the man hiding them, alive. Why would someone hide two people alive? For money? If that was the case, it would have made more sense to hold one captive while the other gets the money or something. Something the man said really affected Tooru, he can’t stop thinking about it.

“They bought all this furniture!”

It makes no sense. Sure, Kotaro and Keiji are very nice. Nice enough to buy tons of lavish furniture for some crazed man neither of them know well? It’s not just unlikely; it’s impossible. It's not like they couldn’t afford things like this. Except it would most likely be for them, not for this. Why would the man say something like that? The landowner might have said it off-hand, thinking no-one would question it. It’s unlikely the man would have said something of that manner just to say it. It’s an unnecessary brag, in fact, it would have been more a brag to say he bought it himself to signify wealth. Meaning, the man can’t be lying. Maybe he should just ask more questions? After all, the man offered if they ever needed anything, they could just visit his shack. It’s a bit strange, although strange has become normal for Tooru recently.

“Hey, I’ll be back! I have a few questions for that guy next door!”

Hajime pokes his head from the half upstairs bedroom, both brows raised in questioning.

“Do you want me to go with you?”

“I’ll be okay. I’m just going next door, I’ll be fine, Iwa-chan!”

And with that, Tooru walks out. He knows he’s worrying Hajime. He knows it and yet… Tooru can’t help it, he doesn’t know how to stop worrying; let alone stop worrying anyone else. Hopefully, getting some answers might clear his mind. 

Tooru walks down the dirt path leading to the shack, it’s small and old. Again, like the first train station, old in an unnerving way. As in peeling paint with tons of overgrowth. Tooru shakes his head, he needs to stop thinking of everything as something that’s awful. He walks up to the little wooden door, pulls on the handle, smacking it against the door once before it opens.

“Ah, welcome! Thank you for coming! Haha! What do you need?”

“Uhm… Can I ask a few questions?”

The man nods eagerly, stepping aside to let Tooru in. The moment he does, the strong smell of paint nearly makes him gag. He looks over to where the paint smells strongest, to his surprise, it’s all in one spot. Possibly thousands of paint strokes over a humongous line in the wall. Instead of looking like a wall, it’s round, bloating from all the paint. It’s a bright blue, extreme contrast to the pale baby blue on every other wall. Another thing quite odd is the hundreds of metal pails on the floor, all of them filled to the brim in wax. It’s an odd combination, tons of paint, tons of wax. The paint smell really starts to get to Tooru, he keeps a foot out the door to breathe properly.

“W-why is there so much paint here? Did something happen?”

The man looks grim again, the wild psychotic shine in his eyes dull. Tooru is trying not to think how disturbing it is, he’s failing.

“Haha… Haha… Ha… Hahaha… No, nothing important happened here, just a stain on the wall, a few dead rats are back there.”

A chill runs down Tooru’s back. A freezing cold chill races down his spine. He knows this man didn’t mean anything sinister. Just… The tone, again, sounds so horrifying. As if the man is mentioning a horrific crime that took place a few days ago. Tooru doesn’t want to think about it. He can’t think about it.

“Ah, I see… Anyway, I came here to ask a few questions about that couple who came here a while ag-”

“NO! I won’t take any questions on them! That’s not a good conversation starter, is it? NO! I don’t want to talk about things that aren’t here anymore! Or… Do you not want to be here anymore?”

Another chill. Tooru takes a step back, the man takes a step forward, this is the most insane Tooru has seen so far. This man just called Kotaro and Keiji things… Tooru is sure something really has happened here. The man just threatened him, Tooru is very sure he means it. The older man takes one more step closer, Tooru runs. He runs out the door as fast as he can to the cabin. There are a lot of times something genuinely scary has happened to Tooru, this, this is one of the scariest. Tooru quickly looks behind him, he truly wishes he hadn’t, the man is running after him. Tooru gets to the cabin first, flinging open the door, locking it immediately. Slowly, he slides down the door, catching his breath. He bites down the wince from going down on his knee so abruptly.

“Are you okay?! Did something happen?”

Hajime walks over to where Tooru is seated on the floor, eyes wide, panting heavily. Tooru looks up from the floor, raising a shaky thumbs up. Hajime frowns, he hates when Tooru lies for someone else’s sake. Hajime practically has a degree in knowing when Tooru is lying, by either body language or language itself. It takes another second for Tooru to regain his breath.

“There- there’s something really- really awful going on…”

Knock, knock!

At that exact moment, a wild strong pounding sounds on the door. Tooru jumps so hard Hajime can actually see it. Hajime leans over Tooru to see through the peephole, he sees the cabin owner, who also looks out of breath, panting.

“Do not open that door… I really think he might do something awful…”

Tooru whispers, making Hajime falter. Something awful? Did Tooru find actual proof of something sinister amok?

“What’d you mean? Did he do something?”

“He asked me if I wanted to disappear. Like Keiji and Kotaro…”

Hajime can’t believe it… This old man… Committed one of the worst crimes imaginable, to two very athletic volleyball players? To make matters worse, this man threatened Tooru? Hajime wants to toss open the door, get actual answers via a means using violence as the main source. Despite what he wants to do, Hajime doesn’t open the door. Instead, he offers a hand out for Tooru to take. He takes it, a weak smile in response. Hajime pulls him up, how convenient, as the knocking persists.

“Let me in! I want in this house! I will show you there are better things to talk about! HAHAHAHA!”

Hajime can’t believe his ears, there is not a possibility someone can be this utterly insane. Especially someone who owns a business. Hajime truly hopes this man has a disease to see things, think’s he did something when in actuality, he did not.

“Iwa-chan… What are we gonna do? My phone died a bit ago… Maybe we should call the police?”

Tooru whispers, his eyes wide with worry. Hajime clenches his fist, he forgot to charge his phone earlier, it’s dead too. He wants to just open the door and punch the man square in the jaw. That really wouldn’t solve anything. In fact, it might make the situation worse when the man wakes up. Hajime shakes his head, he doesn’t know what to do…

“I don’t know… We can break a window, make a run for it?”

Boom!

Both Tooru and Hajime jump, turning to look at the doorknob, which is now a hole… The man has a gun. A very dangerous one at that as it decimated the doorknob. Both of them bolt for the nearest window, Tooru punches the window, he gasps. Four deep red splotches of blood lie on the window. The glass must be shatterproof. Tooru punches it again, even harder this time. A much larger splatter of blood lays on the glass, followed by a loud cracking sound. Tooru bites his tongue not to yell. He just broke at least one of his knuckles. With all that effort, not a single shatter on the glass.

“Oh my god... “

Tooru shakes that hand, small blood droplets splatter on the floor. Hajime’s jaw drops, first from the fact Tooru broke his own knuckles, secondly, this man already had shatterproof glass. Now, Hajime really has no clue what to do, to help Tooru or save their lives. 

Tooru looks around, trying very hard to ignore the flaming pain blooming in his right hand. In his desperation, he sees a closet. It’s the most obvious choice, it’s the only choice Tooru can think of at the moment. With his left hand, he grabs Hajime’s and they both race to the closet. Getting in, they exhale, trying to just breathe.

“Are you-”

The door to the cabin slowly opens, the sound of heavy footsteps fills the air. Slow, deranged laughter fills the air. Neither say a word, both with eyes wide, filled with horror, looking at the other. The footsteps go all around, the sound of cabinets being opened can be heard, the laughter followed by a dull hum. Tooru’s hands start to shake. He remembers that song; the song played at Keiji and Kotaro’s wedding. He remembers it so well as Kotaro wrote it for Keiji, it was something nobody can really forget. Yet, here this man is, singing a song that has never been released to the public… 

“I know where you are.”

Hajime and Tooru freeze. The voice sounds as though it’s right in front of the closet. The man flings open the closet door. Before he can fire, however, Hajime lunges forward, punching the man in the face about as hard as he can muster.

Silence. The man looks knocked out cold.

Hajime grabs the gun from the man’s clammy hands, emptying the barrel all on the floor. Four bullets fall to the floor. This man had a full round in this revolver… The intent to kill…

Tooru steps out of the closet, leaning against a wall right after, closing his eyes just to breathe. He isn’t doing well at it. Opening his eyes for just a second he sees green ones looking right back at him. Hajime wraps an arm around Tooru’s shoulder, pulling him into Hajime’s chest. Tooru holds Hajime’s back, letting a tear roll down his cheek. Then another, then a sob. 

“We’re okay. We’re going to be fine. See? Isn’t today proof? We’re going to be okay.”

Tooru nods his head against Hajime’s shoulder, knowing he’s right. After what just happened, Tooru really, really hopes Hajime is right. Tooru doesn’t want to cry anymore. His tears are for a few things, relief, pain, fear, worry, and sadness, immense sadness. The elder man’s actions today proved that yes, there isn’t much possibility Keiji and Kotaro are alive. Tooru still has hope that isn’t that case. He hopes they’re just fine, they had an encounter like Tooru and Hajime just did. Where both of them are fine. Well, fine as physically. Which Tooru technically isn’t, with his broken knuckles that ache with a flame.

“I-Iwa-chan…? I just wanna go home…”

Hajime can’t agree more. He wants to actually see if Tooru is okay, he knows now isn’t exactly the time. They need to leave as quickly as possible, there is no clock counting down when the man could awaken. 

“Okay. I’ll get the suitcases, they’re upstairs…”

Tooru lifts his head from Hajime’s shoulder, backing up a few steps so he can walk away. Hajime nods once, still looking in a concerned manner. Tooru wipes his eyes, finally able to breathe calmly. On seeing that, Hajime goes up to get all the cases. How did he forget that six of them are here? It’s a mystery to Hajime. Still, he carries all six of them down, dropping one by the closet for Tooru to carry. He gets a sarcastic small smile in turn from Tooru, who picks up said case. They get out of there as fast as possible. 

Walking along the dirt road, a putrid smell radiating from the shack of that man nearly brings tears to Tooru’s eyes. It's so strong. It smells of something Tooru can’t place. He’s never smelled something so strong or vile. Holding his nose, Tooru walks towards the shack. Many people say curiosity is a killer, though, Tooru already has encountered that today. Maybe this might solve the remaining questions Tooru has. Looking behind, he sees Hajime following, a deep scowl on his face, The last thing they need are distractions, this isn’t a distraction, this may be the truth.

Tooru walks into the shack, the smell so strong he can nearly taste it. Why is it so vile? What can possibly make something so strong? Something Tooru notices, there aren't nearly as many buckets of wax anymore, the ones that still have wax in them are half full or have nearly none in them. Anothing thing Tooru notices immediately, the paint smell isn’t nearly as strong as earlier. Instead, it’s dulled down by the rotting-

Rotting. 

Tooru knows that smell. The smell of something rotten… Either this man has hundreds of rotting foods, or… Something entirely different… The different thing Tooru has been fearing this entire time.

He turns his head to see where the lump of paint was. He goes numb. His hands fall by his side, the suitcase drops to the floor, he can’t hear the noise. Tooru’s vision blurs, everything goes fuzzy. All the air leaves his lungs in a beat. He can’t blink. He can’t breathe. He can’t move. All he can do is see. 

Black hair, smaller frame, white and gray-ish black hair, larger frame. Eyes wide, glazed over, unblinking. Bodies kept in a position of terror. One in front of the other. Each holding the other’s hand. Expressions frozen in time by a thick layer of clear yellow. Through the yellow frozen bodies, hundreds of gunshots, stabs, any other infliction is on each body. Terror, agony, sorrow, all embedded into each of their eyes.

Tooru knows exactly who they are. He knows from the bottom of his heart. He can’t imagine the true hell that was experienced. The most torturous pain imaginable. This seems like a terrible nightmare. One that someone would experience as the most insane of insane. 

Tooru thinks someone is talking to him. He can’t hear it. He can’t see the person either. 

Boom!

Tooru feels a small pain, a dull hit. Slowly, as if stuck in the slowest someone can go, he sees bright red blossoming in his right knee. Faintly, he knows this definitely hurts. He shouldn’t even be-

“GET UP!”

Hajime knows what Tooru saw. He knows. He can’t look himself since he understands what happened. He screamed Tooru’s name till his voice gave out, screaming the man who has done so many horrible things is right here, having his gun aimed. Hajime couldn’t take the bullet, he was too slow. It must have taken a moment for Tooru to notice. He passed out a few seconds later. Hajime turns to look at the man, hoping there might be something he could-

Boom!

Nothing.  
\----  
Four Months Later  
\----  
“Oh my god…”

“Hm?”

Tetsurou can’t believe his eyes. He was just at a new museum that opened recently. He heard it had hundreds of handcrafted masterpieces in this single museum. So, he took Kenma to this place. Walking down one of the wax exhibits, he saw four wax statues that sent a cold shiver down his spine. All four of them… They look similar, no, exactly like Kotaro, Keiji, Hajime, and Tooru. There is no way someone could have just sculpted this from a picture… He doesn’t remember any of them telling him they modeled for some sculpture. Well… Tetsurou still knows nothing. The case was closed a month ago, all of them declared dead. Tetsurou knows there’s something more…

“Doesn’t that… Does that look familiar?”

Kenma follows where Tetsurou is pointing, his eyes widen. Tetsurou knows he isn’t the only one seeing the exact similarities. Another thing horrifically wrong is the amount of terrible wounds on everything. Gunshots, stabs, large gaping holes in the arms or legs. The thing that horrifies him the most, however, is the look in all of their eyes… ‘Kotaro’s’ look terrified, eyes wide in horror, still a strength in them. ‘Keiji’s’ look just as scared, his eyes directed towards ‘Kotaro’. ‘Tooru’s’ look dead… As if he saw something haunting… ‘Hajime’s’ look almost hopeful? What happened? There is no way a sculpture could create something so real… 

Tetsurou glances at the name of this exhibit, his breath catches.

A Day in the Woods

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry


End file.
